Staying motivated to stick to your fitness plan can be challenging. With every success it seems there is also a challenge. All too often we focus on the challenges and overlook our successes. This can quickly lead to disappointment and ultimately giving up on our fitness plan. One simple way to stick to your goals is using a fitness journal.
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I have seen so many people reach their goals by keeping a fitness journal. It is the magic potion for success when it comes to losing weight. I advocate keeping the journal for the first 90 days of your fitness program and then measure your success.

It only takes a little time each day to keep it up. Keep it in a convenient place so you can grab it up at anytime. You’ll need to write down all of your meals, your beverages and your exercise for each day. Plus if you count calories, carbs, protein or you’re watching your cholesterol, you can use your journal to monitor those.

Here are a few tips that will help make your fitness journal successful:

• Do set realistic goals. When using a fitness journal it is important that you keep your goals realistic. Do you want to lose 20 pounds before bathing suit season? Great!  However, this isn’t an ideal goal for your fitness journal. A more appropriate goal would be one that can be quickly reached, such as losing 2 pounds this week.
• Do stay positive. Maybe you slipped up this week or maybe you don’t feel that you are reaching your goals quickly enough. This happens. Resist the temptation to get frustrated. Remember that every small step is a success and focus on these.
• Do keep track of your activity and diet. This is a critical step in fitness journaling. Be sure to keep track of all activity and food!
• Do look at your fitness journal. It is important to review what you have written at least once a week. Take the time to go back and look at what you have accomplished. Look for patterns and you will be surprised by how much you learn!
• Do not cheat. So you slipped up and had a piece of cake at the office party. Parties happen! Just be sure to record this just like you would anything else. 
• Do not punish yourself. There will be many times when you do not meet your goals. Punishing yourself will not only result in frustration but can also lead to the long term failure of your fitness journal and plan.
• Do make your fitness journal fun. Make an effort to have fun with your journal. Little things like a favorite color or picture can spice up your journal.  Remember, this journal is for you so feel free to personalize it and keep it fun!
• Do reward yourself. Reward yourself for accomplishes small and large.  This is the key to your success. Small successes deserve small rewards and so on.  However, be careful not to use food as a reward so you do not sabotage your diet in the process.
• Do live your life! Fitness journal or no fitness journal, life goes on. If you find yourself limiting too many activities as a result of your fitness plan you will not succeed.

By following these simple tips you can stick to your plan and use your fitness journal with success. And that’s what a fitness journal is all about.

Food is an important part of our lives and shouldn’t be consumed with guilty feelings. By writing in your journal, when you feel tempted by foods that you are trying to avoid, you will help to fortify your resistance and not fall prey to those empty calories.

You might be wondering how a journal can do all of that. Well, it’s because the journal is an extension of your self-conscious. That is, if you are truthful and dedicated to writing in it daily. No one else has to ever have access to your journal, so feel free to express yourself. By writing these things in your journal, you might find that the next time you are tempted by foods that you are trying to avoid, it becomes easier to resist them.

Journaling works for just about any goals in your life. When you write your goals down on paper, you allow your mind to focus on that task. It works so much better than trying to keep all those wishes, dreams, goals, and fears all bottled up in your head.

Once out of your head and down on paper so that you can view them, they become much more realistic and attainable. You are able to clearly focus on your goal. But it is important that you write in your journal every day. That is how you achieve the most success from journaling.

It’s easy to get started. You can buy a nice professional journal or use a notebook. I do encourage you to keep a book that is solely dedicated to journaling, though. Don’t use the same book that you figure this month’s bills. Organize it so that it becomes a useful tool for you.

That is what the journal is for your fitness endeavor. It is a tool that has been proven time after time to have a significant and positive effect on your weight loss program. It’s only because I want so badly for you to succeed that I emphasize journaling to such a strong extent.

You see, I have seen so many ladies achieve their goals because through journaling they were able to discover the behaviors that were keeping them from successful weight loss. And the great thing was, they did it themselves! By being focused and drawing on their will power; they journaled their way to slim figures and healthy lifestyles.

What about you? Aren’t you ready to join the ranks of other ladies who have achieved their fitness goals. Then get your self a journal and make plans to get in shape.

If you’re already an avid journalist, share your tips with us below!

There’s no denying that the recipe for success, at least when it comes to weight loss and fitness, is having a proper diet and exercising. There’s also no denying that maintaining a proper diet in such a fast-paced world can be extremely difficult. One easy way of balancing your diet is to begin a fitness journal. Not only can a fitness journal be a place to log your goals and expectations, it can also be the beginning of your healthy eating lifestyle.
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Perhaps the easiest way to eat healthy is to plan ahead. At the beginning of the week, write down your meal schedule. If your week looks rather stable, you should pack healthy lunches. If this is the case, writing down what you intend to eat each day in your fitness journal is an excellent method of staying on track. Go ahead and plan each breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Planning and pre-packing snacks can also help to curb the mid-morning hunger pains, which often lead to fatty snacking. But what if your week looks busy, and you know packing a lunch simply isn’t feasible? If this is the case, try to write in your fitness journal which restaurants you are going to go for lunch. Going online and accessing the menus of these restaurants can also help you select your meals in advance. Write them down in your fitness journal to help stop impulsive ordering. Making a plan and sticking to it is much easier when that plan is in black and white, written in your fitness journal.

Many people begin monitoring their diet when they want to lose weight, but that’s not the only reason to do so. What happens when that beautiful day arrives, and you’re finally in your planned weight range? Can you go back to eating like you used to? Unfortunately, the answer is no, not if you want to keep that weight off.

This is another thing your fitness journal can do for you. Many people over eat without realizing it, and this is a trap even a fit person can fall into. However, if you carefully monitor your diet, you can avoid the agony of watching your weight fluctuate.

Your journal allows you to compare one day to the other. I’m sure you’ve found that you tend to eat more some days than others. With a fitness journal, you’ll easily be able to define those days, and determine if there is a reason for your increased appetite.

Along with helping you watch your diet, a fitness journal is a great way to chart your exercise workout. You can record the exercises that you do each day, the intensity of them and how much time you spent exercising. It’s a great way to challenge yourself to stay on track.

In the beginning, it might take some time getting used to, but once you get started, I think you will find it is a wonderful asset. Just keep it in a convenient place so it’s easy to reach. “Out of sight, out of mind” is a true saying, so keep your journal some place that you will see it often.

It’s important that you record all of your meals and all of your physical activity every day. This is the only way to determine what works for you and what does not. And sometimes those factors have a way of changing.

Stress has a way of interfering with our diet, digestion and level of energy. So it’s important to make notations about the way you are feeling too. Illnesses also play a part in our appetite and our ability to perform physically. If you are faced with any difficulties such as these, be sure to record them in your journal.

Begin your journal by recording your weight, measurements and dress size. At this time, you might want to write down your fitness goals. Do you want to lose weight or just get in better physical condition? This is a great time to write it all out.

Think of your fitness journal as an eating diary; write down everything you eat, from a stick of gum all the way up to your main meals. You may be surprised how much you are actually eating. By being faithful to your fitness journal you can help yourself maintain that fabulous new figure.

When you follow the Fitness4Her 30 Diet and 30 Minutes To A New You Exercise Program, you can lose weight and get in shape in only 30 minutes a day. The third part of the trilogy is the Fitness Journal. I believe it is just as important as the other parts of the program.

I write in my Fitness Journal every day. Each morning I begin, by writing my goals for the day. Yes, I make weekly goals and then daily goals too. That’s because things change, and I find that by reading over my weekly goals each day, then making daily goals, I get more things accomplished.

For instance, I might have a goal to increase the number of reps or sets that I do for a certain exercise, maybe I’ve been experimenting with adding more weight, but later, I learn a new routine and suddenly I have a different goal. It works the same way with diet too.

I can make diet plans for the week, but if we get a chance to go out to eat, I might have to amend my plan for that week. Keeping track of everything I eat on a daily basis does help me stay on track. But by making weekly menu plans, I make it easy to eat healthier.

Eating healthy is easy, if you make up your mind to do it and a fitness journal can make it simple by giving you the platform to chart your success. I’ll be out here cheering for you every step of the way. Believe it to achieve it!

Share your journaling experiences by leaving a comment:

For fitness, personal improvement is about creating or losing a habit. Keeping a fitness journal is a great way to ensure that you start to create a positive habit. Setting goals and continually striving to reach them is one of the best ways to keep motivated.
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We’ve all made our New Year’s Resolutions, only to have life get in the way, and have those goals become distant memories. Recording your progress in a fitness journal on a daily basis can greatly increase the likelihood of achieving your goals, as your written history can provide positive reinforcement and motivation.

By keeping a fitness journal, you create a plan for yourself. This plan can focus strictly on the workouts themselves, or you can expand and include diet, personal motivations, energy levels, amount of sleep, and anything else that may seem relevant to your success. You also then have a log of your progress. You can look back through your fitness journal and truly see how much you have pushed yourself, and how your diet and sleep patterns have impacted your weight, energy levels, and workouts.

Our favorite excuse for not following through on our fitness goals is often, “I just don’t have time.” But you may find that you can squeeze at least 30 minutes per day of fitness into your day just by performing your everyday routine with a few modifications. Take the dog for a longer walk, or if you don’t have a dog, borrow a neighbor’s! While on a phone call, instead of sitting still, pace around the room. If you’re moving, you’re burning calories. And yes, you can even track those “exercises” in your fitness journal.

Another tip: Try wearing a pedometer. Make a goal to try to get more steps the next day then the day before. Track the steps in your fitness journal. Before long, you might even find yourself parking toward the back of the parking lot, or even taking the stairs, just so you can get a few extra steps in.

There are many options for keeping a fitness journal—from maintaining a paper record, to creating a tracking spreadsheet. While creating and keeping a fitness journal may seem like a lot of work, in actuality it only takes a few minutes a day, and the benefits it offers far outweigh the time spent.

My favorite is a nice little book that fits easily in my bag so I can carry it with me to make notes when I work out. If you do your workouts at the gym, you will probably want to get one that is compact but big enough to write in.

Keep track of all the exercise that you do each day. If you make a point on a regular basis of walking around the mall or parking further out in the parking lot, make a note of that, too. Be sure to write down everything you eat and drink, don’t skip anything. This will really help you see what you are consuming and let you know if there are some foods that are keeping you from reaching your goals.

Some people feel like they cannot live without sweet soda drinks. Well, okay then, write in your journal each time you drink one of those sugary carbonated treats and if you are brave enough, try a week without them. Compare your weight loss without any other changes in your diet or fitness program. I think you might be surprised at the results. Many ladies lose weight automatically when they cut out sweet soft drinks from their diet.

By coming face to face with what you put in your body, you make a conscious well-informed decision to either continue with empty calorie food, or to change what you eat and drink for more nutritious and healthy foods that will provide your body with fuel it needs to perform.

Begin each day, with affirmations and journal writing. This will allow you to clear your head and allow you to focus on the things you need to for that day. Writing in your journal not only helps you to prioritize your duties but also alleviates stress and anxiety.

A fitness journal is so vital to the success of your program. If you are loyal to your journal writing, it will become your little buddy, or ally. Within the pages of your journal will be the secret to your weight loss success.

You can record your struggles, the days that your muscles burned and ached. The days that you were tired but worked out anyway and then felt better. It will in essence describe all of the feelings that you harbor about your weight loss and fitness regimen.

The reason that this is so beneficial is that it encourages positive self-talk. Rather than degrading or speaking negatively to yourself about your body shape, you will find yourself becoming more appreciative of your body, just simply by keeping a journal.

It’s true, you know. The journal provides a sounding board for your struggles and then becomes a source of inspiration when you read back over it. Giving you the encouragement you need to keep going even when it seems you have hit a plateau.

You see—healthy eating and fitness are lifelong goals. Not something that you have to accomplish overnight. The important thing is that you have turned that corner; you have made the ultimate decision to improve your health and lifestyle.

Your fitness journal will be there for you, as your personal witness to all your hard work. A constant reminder of what it takes to lose weight. Because we all know that losing weight is not easy. It is something that we must work at everyday.

Always begin each journal by recording your current weight and measurements so you will have an accurate record of where you began your journey to fitness. That’s pretty much what a journal depicts, isn’t it? It will outline your whole trip to a healthy new lifestyle.

Avid journalists: Tell us about your journaling experiences by leaving a comment!

Whether your goal is to get in shape for spring break, your wedding, or your daughter’s graduation party, it’s easy to start a fitness plan, but it’s another thing to stick to it. One way to keep yourself on task is to start a fitness journal. Keeping the journal with you at all times can help track your habits including how often and how long you exercise as well as track your diet. A hidden benefit is time management, so you can make it to your son’s first soccer game without thinking…I should be in the gym!
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Remember you can find little ways to exercise just about everywhere you go, just keep moving! If you have your journal with you, it will make it easy to record your extra movements like walked around the ball field or around the block.

Here are some things to consider when customizing your journal:

• What suits you? It can be as simple as a composition style book like you used in college, a typical day planner, or go all digital and use an online social site.
• Include a section in the front (if doing one on paper) that includes your goals. Don’t forget to leave space for amending! Your cruise might be a time to splurge, but come up with a plan to get back on track!
• Make a goals page for each week for best results that way if you get off track the following week you can quickly recover.
• Daily goals are also important, you might want to challenge yourself to cut back or avoid completely sugary soft drinks, at the end of the day, you can chart your success.
• Have a section for fitness including workouts, housekeeping, or anything that may require cardio exercise (if that’s a goal for you).
• Have a section to record your meals and snacks. One double latte may not sound like much, but every day, and the calories add up.

What you should include on your goals sheet:

• Begin by writing down your measurements, weight and dress size.
• Then determine how much weight you want to lose. You can include short term and long term goals on your weight loss.
• Next list some of the activities you know you want to include. Cardio? Strength? Do some research to spice it up!
• Are you going to have a mentor or exercise buddy to help? Record their phone and email.
• Write down the reasons you want to lose weight and get in shape, be specific. It could be so that you can play with your children or grandchildren or fit into a sexy new outfit or look better for a class reunion.

What to track in your fitness section:

• What you did and how much. 100 crunches? 5 miles walking?
• Was it planned or spontaneous? If you’re not making scheduled time to exercise, reconsider your routine.
• How was your motivation today? If you see a trend in your lack of motivation, investigate what is causing it, and fix it!
• Are the exercises getting easier?
• Do you feel stronger?
• Do you have more energy than before you began your fitness program?
• All of these notes written in your will be beneficial in helping you reach your goal.

What to track in your diet section:

• What food you consume each day and how much.
• How much water you’re drinking. It will keep you hydrated and keep you from being tired. Water also helps to cleanse your body of toxins.
• Also keep track of all the beverages that you indulge in as the calories can really add up if you drink soft drinks.
• You can keep track of nutritional facts too, like amounts of saturated fat, protein and sodium in the foods that you eat. Remember to have protein at every meal.
• Record your weight each week to help you stay on track.
• Measure your body at your bust, waist, hips, thighs, calve and ankles. Also measure your wrists and upper arms. This will give you a true picture of your fitness plan.
• Remember you are not a number on a scale, look at yourself in the mirror. Can you see the differences in your body? Are you clothes fitting better or becoming too loose? These are true indications that your body is changing and taking on a whole new shape. Record all of this in your journal.

Helpful hints:

• Consult a doctor to ensure you’re physically able to accomplish your goals.
• Utilize technology such as built-in pedometers on mp3 players that can track your mileage.
• Break up grand goals in manageable chunks. Splurge when you reach each step, you deserve it! That doesn’t mean to sabotage your weight loss goals with loads of high calories or sugar. Just do something nice for your self, you deserve it.
• Never erase mistakes in your journal. Draw one line through it and correct it. It looks messy, but you may discover a pattern that may help you out!

Short of a genie, there are no magic pills to lose weight. Everything you eat and do has an effect on your weight. A fitness journal is the right step to help you reach your goals because when you record everything you eat, drink and all of your physical activities, you’ll have a much better chance of success. It’s been proven time and again.

Fitness4Her is a complete diet and exercise program that is specifically developed for women. The diet consists of five meals rather than the customary three meal plan with special attention given to portion control. My 30 Minutes To A New You Exercise plan, incorporates some of the Pilates Principles of engaging the core in all exercises. Check out the Members Exercise section for workout routines that are designed to get you in shape. The journal is the final part of the trilogy and in my opinion is no less important than the diet and exercise. The journal will keep you accountable and will be your “go-to” source as you stay on task and meet your goals.

Share your journaling tips with us and our readers by leaving a comment:

Exercise is an important part of any fitness routine, but is all exercise effective for reaching your fitness goals? Interestingly, the answer is no. Some exercises help build muscles, like weightlifting, while others are more effective at fat burning, such as jogging. So which form of exercise is best for you?
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The first thing you must consider is what your goal is. Do you want to slim down or tone muscles? Are you wanting to improve your flexibility or your stamina? Perhaps your goal encompasses some of each; in that case, how do you know what the perfect routine is for you? The best answer for all of these questions is to use your fitness journal.

When beginning your fitness routine, it’s generally best to consult an expert. This expert can be someone who works at a gym or even just someone you know who has had success in their fitness efforts. Take your fitness journal to them and ask what will help you reach your goals. Be thorough when writing their advice in your fitness journal, and remember to get as many different options as possible. Some of the exercises may seem out of your skill range, but you never know how far you’ll progress and it’s always nice to have choices.

Fitness4Her combines aerobic exercise and strength training by alternating every other day for six days out of the week. My 30 Minutes To A New You Exercise Program will help you to reach your fitness goals in as little as 30 minutes each day.

Check out my workout routines in the Member’s Exercise section for moves that build and tighten your muscles and increase your overall strength. I explain what areas of the body each exercise targets and give you advancements to increase the intensity for optimum results.

But let’s get back to the fitness journal, which I believe to be just as important as diet and exercise to help you lose weight and get in shape. Simply acting as a holding place for your list of exercises is not all your fitness journal can do for you. Beyond this your journal can help you isolate the exercises that are best for you.

For example, you can comment on each workout in detail. Write down how they make you feel. Some might make you feel more tired while others make you feel rejuvenated. Perhaps there is a particular combination that you find to be stress relieving, while a different set helps pump you up. There’s also the time factor to consider; some workouts will be longer than others, and mapping out an average time required in your fitness journal can help you better plan your routine.

Now back to the routines that I am sharing with you in the Members Section, I have formulated each routine so that you can complete it in 30 minutes. Now if you take longer, that is just fine. Many of the Pilates movements are best executed slowly with accuracy in mind. Do as many as you are able and focus on your form.

Perhaps the best thing you can do with your fitness journal is use it as a weekly planner. Once you are familiar with your exercises you can start designing your own workout routine. Day-by-day works very well, and having such specific daily expectations can help you maintain your fitness schedule. It’s much easier to say, “I’m going to skip the gym today,” then saying, “I’m going to skip my routine today.”

The nicest thing about routines is they’re just that: a routine. Once you’ve got one going it’s much easier to keep it going, so remember to be consistent and continue to write your thoughts in your fitness journal. By closely monitoring how you feel about your exercise schedule you can avoid problems, like boredom from repetitive workouts, before they begin.

Your fitness journal will help to challenge you to do more and to achieve higher results. It not only keeps you accountable, it helps you to realize that you can do better. It encourages you to expand your fitness goals and to strive harder to accomplish them.

Be sure to record each day, all that you eat, drink and exercise. Keep track of important nutrients required for a healthy diet, and cut back on or avoid entirely foods with empty calories. Make notes of the way that you feel, and how well your willpower is working. Monitor your motivation too, because it’s important for helping you stay energized and get going.

Fitness journals are a great way to prove how far you have come on your journey to physical fitness. Many times we jump into a weight loss program without taking the time to record our starting point. A fitness journal keeps everything organized for you so you can tell where you are going and where you began.

I take my fitness journal with me to the gym and keep it close by at home so I can grab it at anytime to jot down a note, read an old one, or make a new goal. I faithfully record all of my meals, even after all of these years. I find it such a source of inspiration as I read over my goals and achievements. It’s the little things like this that keep me going.

Fitness is forever. You can help your body fight off the deteriorating effects of age by exercising regularly and eating a healthy diet. Strength training exercises have even been found to prolong the onset of Osteoporosis.

The journal is the silent partner that will give you the courage to keep going. With it’s recorded evidence of your success, how could you not embrace this helpful tool when your mission is to lose weight, get in shape and improve your overall health?

Exercise and the Fitness Journal go hand in hand, complemented by a diet that’s sure to help you attain the body that you desire.

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